Three of my sci-fi horror drabbles have been published in the Dark Stars anthology from Shacklebound Books.
The audio production of my psychological horror novelette Make It a Double is now available on the Horror Hill podcast. It’s about a consolatory toast that turns into a blessing … and then a curse. “May whatever luck comes to him, come to you, times two.” The story starts at around the 5:00 mark.
Content warning: misogyny
My urban fantasy story Interminable has been accepted by The Stray Branch Literary Journal. Originally published by Dark Recesses Press, Interminable is the story of a man with an incurable condition and an inescapable fate.
Content warning (spoiler): suicidal ideation“I’m sorry,” the doctor said. He closed the folder containing my test results. “There’s nothing we can do.”
My voice shook as I spoke. “You’re sure?” I scanned the doctor’s office as if searching for some undiscovered cure for my affliction. “Can’t you give me something? A shot? Some pills? Anything?”
“I’m afraid not.”
The audio production of my cyberpunk story A Free Man is now available on the Simultaneous Times podcast by Space Cowboy Books. This episode was done in collaboration with Shacklebound Books, which published A Free Man in their anthology, The Mods: Cyberpunk Stories. The story starts around the 8:00 mark.
My short non-horror story Firefly has been published in the March 2023 issue of Fresh Words: An International Literary Magazine. You can read it online for free or purchase a print copy.
Firefly is a simple story about a young girl who captures a firefly in the back yard to help cheer up her ailing sister.
Content warning: terminal illness of a childMissy caught the firefly in mid-air, cupping her hands around it to form a tiny, dark cave. She could feel the insect’s delicate footsteps tickling her skin as it wandered across her palm, searching for a way out.
“Got you!” she whispered, victorious.
My short horror story Leftovers has been published in the Murder On Her Mind anthology by Wicked Shadow Press. It’s about an elderly woman living in a rapidly-declining urban neighborhood who subsists on an unconventional recipe from the old world.
Two of my horror stories have been accepted by Chilling Tales For Dark Nights, for their Horror Hill podcast. This will be the first audio production of these stories, so I’m excited to hear how they turn out.
My short non-horror story Firefly has been accepted by Fresh Words: An International Literary Magazine for their March 2023 issue. It’s a simple story about a young girl who captures a firefly in the back yard to help cheer up her ailing sister.
Missy caught the firefly in mid-air, cupping her hands around it to form a tiny, dark cave. She could feel the insect’s delicate footsteps tickling her skin as it wandered across her palm, searching for a way out.
“Got you!” she whispered, victorious.
The audio production of my cyberpunk story Set For Life is now available for free from the Dark Matter Magazine Audiolab. As with everything Dark Matter Magazine does, the quality of the production is exceptional.
The story is about a man’s first day on the job picking up bodies for Syntech and the disturbing secret about where they come from. It’s also the prequel to my novella Override (which appeared in Dark Matter Magazine Issues 007/008/009).
My story Silly Jilly has been published in Apex Magazine’s Strange Libations: An Anthology of Dark Cocktails, featuring a collection of stories told via drink recipes. Silly Jilly is a bitter cocktail with a sweet finish, made in memory of a little girl lost.
The anthology was created as a reward for Kickstarter backers, so it’s not available for purchase directly. However, you can purchase a copy as an add-on to the Robotic Ambitions Kickstarter, which I highly recommend backing.
Warren Benedetto 